The women’s singles draw is nearing its conclusion as the Coco Gauff faces off against Aryna Sabalenka while Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska takes on Qinwen Zheng.
The winner between Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, and Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be the hot favourite to win the title though Zheng is viewed as a superstar of the future whose time may have arrived early.
Meanwhile, Aussie star Matt Ebden and Rohan Bopanna are into the men’s doubles final as the former helped to keep an absurd green and gold streak remain intact.
Follow along for live updates from Day 12!
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GAUFF ‘CRUSHED’ BY RIVAL AMID HORROR DOUBLE FAULT COUNT
Coco Gauff was brutally punished for wayward and weak serves as Aryna Sabalenka took the first set of their semi final clash 7-6 (7-2).
Gauff racked up an alarming six double faults — including two with her first two serves of the match — and was made to pay for slow second serves.
The American won just three of her 17 points on second serve as Sabalenka time and time again stepped up in the court and fired thunderous returns back at her, leaving her with no chance.
Tennis legend Jim Courier pointed out Sabalenka was having a field day on Gauff’s second serves, which were considerably slower than the Belarussian’s.
“She (Gauff) is going to need to keep making first serves,” Courier said on Nine’s commentary.
“The second serve is vulnerable to Sabalenka’s pace.”
Courier even went as far as saying Gauff was “struggling” and getting “crushed” when forced to defend from her second serves.
Despite Gauff’s serving woes, Sabalenka left the door open time and time again for the No. 4 seed.
Sabalenka even had a 5-2 lead but then lost the next four games, although she recovered in time to force the first set into a tie-break.
It was here that the No. 2 seed cranked up the intensity and Gauff simply could not match it, winning the tie-break 7-2.
AUSSIE LEGEND HONOURED
Australian tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley will be recognised for her remarkable contribution to the sport, nation and culture in a special ceremony prior to the women’s semi-finals on Rod Laver Arena.
From 2025, the Australian Open’s annual celebration of First Nations culture during the first week of the tournament will be officially known as Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day.
As part of the festivities next year, the Australian Tennis Foundation will also host the Because of Evonne breakfast, followed by a ceremonial walk to Melbourne Park.
All funds raised from the event will go towards improving the lives of Indigenous children through education and sport, a mission Cawley has dedicated her post-playing life to.
“Evonne exemplifies all that is good and great in our sport, both on and off the court,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said, with the governing body having already donated $100,000 to the cause.
“She’s a shining example of humility and grace and the dedication she’s shown over so many years to helping others is an inspiration to us all.
“We look forward to building on Evonne’s legacy and continuing her extraordinary work.”
NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN FORMER PARTNERS AS AUSSIE SENT PACKING
It appeared there was no love lost between Aussie star Storm Hunter and her former doubles partner Elise Mertens after the latter and Hsei Su-Wei prevailed 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to progress into the women’s doubles final.
Hunter and Mertens paired together last year and even made it to the final of Wimbledon but ultimately fell short, although they did win two titles throughout 2023.
The 29-year-old then made the surprise reveal she had split with the Belgian in November last year, stating that “nothing kind of really happened” between the pair but they simply “just wanted to change and a new challenge.”
Hunter’s new partner was Czech star Katerina Siniokova, while Mertens paired up with Hsei.
In the end it was the latter duo that emerged victors when the former pairing Hunter and Mertens faced off in Melbourne.
It led to what looked like a rather frosty exchange during the post-match handshakes at the net, with Mertens and Hunter barely acknowledging each other when shaking hands.
AUSSIE’S CHEEKY INVITE AS CRICKET GREAT CONGRATULATES STAR’S METEORIC RISE
There’s plenty of perks playing alongside the soon-to-be No. 1 men’s doubles player in the world, but Aussie star Matthew Ebden is hoping it helps him score dinner with a sporting great.
Ebden and Indian legend Rohan Bopanna will compete in the men’s doubles final after beating Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen in a thrilling semi final encounter.
Bopanna, who hails from India, is one of the nation’s greatest tennis exports and has a long list of admirers from his home country, including a legendary cricketer by the name of Sachin Tendulkar.
After Ebden and Bopanna won their quarterfinal on Wednesday, it meant the 43-year-old would rise to the top of the doubles rankings once the Australian Open had concluded.
It sparked plenty of congratulatory messages from across the sporting landscape, including one from Tendulkar.
Bopanna was asked what it was like to receive a message from the cricket great and after revealing he sometimes enjoys meals with Tendulkar, Ebden couldn’t help but invite himself along to their next dinner.
“I think it’s amazing that he follows tennis for a long, long time, and he was there at Wimbledon watching our match, as well,” Bopanna said in the duo’s post-match press conference.
“He’s a dear friend. I met him a bunch of times. Had dinner with him a couple of times.”
Ebden, who was born in South Africa, interjected: “I’m coming next time.”
THE STREAK CONTINUES! AUSSIE STAR KEEPS DREAM RUN ALIVE
Australian star Matt Ebden and Rohan Bopanna are into the final of the men’s doubles after surviving a thrilling three-set contest against Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen.
Ebden’s appearance in the final means it is three consecutive years an Australian has appeared in the men’s doubles final.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis famously won the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles — against the fellow all-Aussie duo of Ebden and Max Purcell — while Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler combined to win last year.
It was a seesawing affair, with Ebden and Bopanna breezing past their rivals to win the first set 6-3 in just 32 minutes.
However, their momentum came to a screeching halt when the Rod Laver Arena roof had to be closed at 1-1 in the second set due to rain.
Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge feared it would negatively impact Ebden and Bopanna, especially the former’s serve.
“I like the breeze, the roof open, for Bopanna and Ebden,” Woodbridge said.
“I think they’re a better combination with that.
“I think this (roof closure) actually helps Machac and Zhang. They’re bigger, cleaner ball strikers off the ground. It definitely will help them on serve and give them another cleaner look at some of the returns.
“Matt Ebden was serving with a bit of help from the breeze, now he gets no help from the breeze.”
Woodbridge even described Ebden’s serve as “a little more vulnerable” with the roof closing.
The legend’s fears were confirmed as Machac and Zhang took the ascendancy to win the second set 6-3, forcing the contest into a deciding third set.
Despite the apparent struggles to adapt to the closed roof, Ebden and Bopanna showed no signs of difficulty as they raced out to a 5-2 lead and looked like they would cruise to victory.
But Machac and Zhang refused to lie down, holding serve in the eighth game to make it 5-3 before securing the vital break in the following game.
Their hard work to find a way back into the semi final contest was then on the verge of being undone when Ebden and Bopanna secured three match points at 0-40.
Remarkably, Machac and Zheng fired back thanks to some big serving from the latter to even the deciding set at 5-5, with the contest eventually going into a 10-point tie-break.
With the tension ramped up, it was the No. 2 seeding of Ebden and Bopanna that prevailed, showing all of their veteran nous to hold on and take the tie-break 10-7.
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DAY 12 ORDER OF PLAY (all times AEDT)
Rod Laver Arena
Men’s doubles semi-finals (not before 1pm)
R. Bopanna (IND) and M. Ebden (AUS) def T. Machac (CZE) and Z. Zhang (CHN) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-7)
S. Bolelli (ITA) and A. Vavassori (ITA) def Y. Hanfmann (GER) and D. Koepfer (GER) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-5)
Women’s singles semi-finals (not before 7:30pm)
No.4 Coco Gauff (USA) vs No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
Dayana Yastremska (UKR) vs No.12 Qinwen Zheng (CHN)